Newbie to Photography

Hey all,

I'm looking into an D-SLR, specifically the 350D. I think I know what to get but would like some feedback and various things to watch out for. Recently bought a car and I'm into modifying it. I finally decided to cut into my "mod" budget to get a solid camera - gotta love the mail in rebate. My shots will mostly be of still cars [freshly detailed I hope =-)] and also look to take it to the F1 USGP in Indy this July; typical vacation group photos will be taken and looking for an overall decent performer (I don't have too much of a trained eye yet).

What I plan on getting, unless otherwise deterred:

- 350D w/kit 18-55mm [I am on a strict budget and heard it was a good beginner lens, which I am]
- Cannon 50mm f/1.8 lens [again, on a budget but wanted a few DOF shots w/o dropping 300+ for a f/1.4]

Now I need the recommendations on:

Case/bag, 1gb memory (how many pictures can it hold? assuming recording in both RAW and JPEG), and finally, where to source all of this.

Thanks in advance guys and gals.

P.S. I'm still in school hence the strict budget but will get better glass down the line - still familiarizing myself.

hahaha... i gave up modding my car once the photography bug bit me. So beware! The initial choice you have is good. The kit lens is great for beginners and so is the nifty fifty. For car race action shots, u'd one a telephoto and fast lens...which means mucho dinero.

This is the only thing that will cut into it...I'd rather drive a modded Audi than have more lenses than I know what to do with.

I also bought the 350D/Rebel XT recently and will be taking it to Hawaii tomorrow I only have the kit lens; like you I will wait till I have more experience before spending money on better lenses. The other or real reason is that the vacation cost enough.. according to my wife and she is alway right

For F1, I would imagine you will need a zoom lens so you'd need to save up. I bought 2GB CF cards and when I set to "Fine L" there's 500+ pictures available so I guess for 1GB it should be around 250+ pictures on the same setting. So far the kit lens works for me on some landscape pictures and I figure the 18mm should work for group photo as well.

Enjoy your new camera!

You may want to look at a longer lens if you want to do a bit of F1 photography! something in the range between 55-300!! Remember on the 350d you have to mulitpy the focal length of the lens by 1.6x!! So the 50mm actual is equivalent to a 80mm!!

One of the beauties of the 350d! What country are you in??

I bought the Tamron 28-75 2.8F lens instead of the kit lens and it was 350.00 with a 30.00 rebate from 17th photo.com. I works great in all light conditions

milm 650: is that 500+ on max settings recording in both RAW and JPEG?

Big Will: What prices am I looking at for that lens? By the sound of things, it seems a arm, leg and a pricey prostitute in "1800-ESCORT" clothing. =-)

DegasGone Digital: It that a good all around lens? I am a beginner but would like to cover the 18-55mm aspect but also the nifty-fifty for detail-focused shots...wow there must be some terminology that I'm missing.

Again, Do I just pricegrabber.com this thing? I've heard good things about B&H...I've noticed that 42nd street isn't bad with actual camera pricing but the nifty fifty for $99? Ridiculous...Thanks again!

Actually Amazon.com has the 50mm for $73

http://www.amazon.com …customer-reviews.start=81

No, that is highest quality JPEG only on a 2GB card.

for RAW + Fine JPEG you would be looking at 40-50 for a 1 GB card.

Welcome on the forum!

Your suggestion is a good starting combo. The nifty is the best bang for the bucks.
However, I would consider swaping the kit lens for a 28-105 f/3.4-4.5 II USM. It costs only 219$ at B&H and it's a great lens. I've used it for 4 years with my old EOS 5 and I've been very happy with it. Sharp and good contrast. And you get the USM, which is a nice feature.

For F1 shooting, you will quickly find out that you need A LOT of reach, especially because chances are small that you will stand in the pit lane or very close to the track. There are some good specialists of motor racing here (look into the sport section) and most of them use 300mm or more. If on top of that you want the lens to be fast, you end up with very expensive requirements. Best affordable option could be a 400 5.6 L or a 300 f4 L with a TC.
Anyway, you will see in due time. For the moment, just practice with what you'll soon get, and enjoy!

Krapo wrote:
Welcome on the forum!

Your suggestion is a good starting combo. The nifty is the best bang for the bucks.
However, I would consider swaping the kit lens for a 28-105 f/3.4-4.5 II USM. It costs only 219$ at B&H and it's a great lens. I've used it for 4 years with my old EOS 5 and I've been very happy with it. Sharp and good contrast. And you get the USM, which is a nice feature.

For F1 shooting, you will quickly find out that you need A LOT of reach, especially because chances are small that you will stand in the pit lane or very close to the track. There are some good specialists of motor racing here (look into the sport section) and most of them use 300mm or more. If on top of that you want the lens to be fast, you end up with very expensive requirements. Best affordable option could be a 400 5.6 L or a 300 f4 L with a TC.
Anyway, you will see in due time. For the moment, just practice with what you'll soon get, and enjoy!

Thanks for the advice...I will have to look into that lens...yea for F1 I figures I'll just take alot of shots of the great ppl I go with and the tomfoolery to ensue and not much of the race...I'm sure I'll find many many uses with it.


EDIT:

Can anyone specify/suggest a 300 f4 L? What is a TC? I think delhi is right, hobbies might be changing preferences